❤️Legal Terminology R & S❤️

Rebuttal

A plaintiff presents rebuttal evidence to contradict points made in the defendant's case

Recant

A formal retraction of a previous statement

Recidivism

The tendency to repeat criminal behavior

Recidivist

A habitual, repeat criminal

Recross

Further questioning of a witness after redirect examination, carried out by the opposing party

Recuse

To disqualify; a judge is expected to recuse when there is a conflict of interest or bias

Redact

To edit or revise a document for publication

Redirect

Further questioning of a witness after cross-examination, by the party who first called the witness

Rehabilitated

Reestablishing credibility with further evidence

Remainderman

A person to receive property after the death of a life tenant

Remitter

Operation of law restoring an earlier valid title, replacing a later defective title

Remittitur

A court's order reducing a grossly excessive jury award

Rescission

Cancellation or annulment, especially of a contract

Riparian

Relating to water rights and access to rivers and streams

Ruling

Court's decision on a legal question raised in a case

Scofflaw

One who breaks the law and holds it in contempt

Sealed

Not open to public scrutiny; juveniles' conviction records are often sealed

Search warrant

Judicial permission given to search for evidence of a suspected crime

Sentencing hearing

Procedure after a criminal trial when the severity of the sentence is decided

Sequester

To remove or set apart, as a jury during deliberations or witnesses during trial

Settlement

An agreement between parties, usually to dispose of a lawsuit

Shepardizing

Legal research into the ultimate outcome of a case after appeals

Sidebar

Counsel and judge discuss matters outside the hearing of the jury

Standard of evidence

The amount or type needed to prevail; burden of proof

Standing doctrine

Sufficient interest in the outcome to permit filing a lawsuit or participating in an action

Statutory law

Law enacted by a legislature, as opposed to common law; positive law

Strike

To remove a portion of the record from consideration by a fact-finder

Subject matter jurisdiction

Cases or issues a court is authorized to hear

Suborn

To induce the commission of an unlawful act, particularly to encourage perjured testimony

Subpoena ad testificandum

Order to come prepared to testify

Subpoena duces tecum

Formal order to appear in court and supply specified documents

Summary judgment

A procedure in civil cases where a party is entitled to prevail as a matter of law

Summation

The concluding argument of each party's counsel before jury deliberation

Summons

Official notice served upon a defendant, ordering an appearance in court

Surplusage

Irrelevant matter in a proceeding; excessive verbiage

Surrebuttal

A defendant may present surrebuttal evidence to counteract the plaintiff's rebuttal